St. Nicholas Day
Early December holiday
St.
Nicholas Day is a Christian feast day celebrated on December 6th, honoring the 4th-century bishop known for his generosity.
In many European countries, children receive small gifts or sweets in their shoes, which they leave out the night before.
The holiday influenced later Christmas gift-giving traditions and the figure of Santa Claus: The kids put out their shoes for St. Nicholas Day.
- SinterklaasDutch winter gift-giver
- December 6Sixth day, twelfth month
- bootsAnkle-covering footwear
- chimneyVertical smoke passage
- giftsItems freely given
gift giving · children · bishop · mitre · staff · red cloak · chocolate · golden coins · coins · oranges · stockings · feast · saint · patron · Dutch · German · white horse · tradition
- European HolidaysChristmas, Easter Monday, Good Friday, New Year, Epiphany
- Winter HolidaysChristmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day
- Austrian culturefolk costume, folk dancing, dirndl, lederhosen, yodeling
- feast daysSt. Patrick's Day, St. Valentine's Day, St. George's Day, St. Andrew's Day, St. Stephen's Day
- CzechiaPrague, Bohemia, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, Moravia
- German ChristianityMartin Luther, Luther, Lutheran, Lutherans, Lutheran Church
religious vs secular holidays
St. Nicholas DayBlack Friday
Major retail discount day
Cyber Monday · New Year's Day · Boxing Day · Groundhog Day · April Fools' Day